BIO

Chromatics

After five years, two albums and five singles, losing six members

while touring the U.S. repeatedly, Chromatics have successfully

distorted into a solid concept. Taking a cross section from 70¹s

horror films, a fixation with ancient societies, and a love for

percussive electronic music, founding member, Adam Miller, hooked up

with Johnny Jewel in the summer of 2004 to start working on the third

Chromatics album. The main goal apparently being, ³...to not sound

like any record we¹ve done before...² The following months saw the

releases of the ³Healer/Witness 12², the ³Nite² Ep/Cd, and a trio of

limited self released CDR¹s. During the summer of 2006, Chromatics

welcomed Ruth Radelet on lead vocals, and Nat Walker on percussion

and saxophone.

In spring 2007 Chromatics release the official version of ³In the

City² on a 12² single. Bootlegs of the demo version have been

circulating across dance floors and internet radio all year. The

single features a radical remix of the song using a slow 808 beat fit

for a rap freestyle juxtaposed against a sparse piano arpeggio fit

for a European zombie flic. On the B-side, the band throws in a cover

of the Bruce Springsteen classic, ³I¹m on Fire.² ³In The City² is the

lead single from their forthcoming double album, ³Shining Violence,²

released this fall on Troubleman Unlimited Recordings. The album

features Ruth sharing the spotlight with occasional bursts of

vocoder. While the group experiments equally with outsider Electro

and melodramatic string arrangements, she sings a tense lullaby not

unlike Mia Farrow in Komeda¹s theme from Rosemary¹s Baby.

In a live setting, Chromatics keep it minimal. The synthesizers

handle the Cosmic elements, the guitar takes care of the moodier

edge, and the drums are stripped down to a dirty disco for dancing.

What¹s the end result? Well, to quote the group¹s own blog on

myspace, ³Imagine if Michael McDonald accidentally crashed his yacht

into a disco off the shores of Italy while staring into the horse

head nebula.

PIC